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JAPAN
Jun 16, 1998

Partyspeak: Hata asks voters to rout out the LDP

First in a series Staff writer
JAPAN
May 8, 1998

LDP council approves financial reform bills

The Liberal Democratic Party's Executive Council on Friday approved several economic bills, including one for revising the fiscal austerity law, that will be submitted to the Diet on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 1998

Fiscal reform law changes to be minimal

Revisions to the Fiscal Structural Reform Law will be kept to a minimum, and current spending caps imposed on key expenditure areas will hopefully remain unchanged, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 1998

Rise in banks' interest rates inevitable: Kato

Interest rates will become "inevitably higher" as Japanese banks compete with foreign financial institutions following the nation's "Big Bang" financial reforms, Koichi Kato, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, predicted April 13.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 1998

Hashimoto vows tax cuts

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto announced Thursday that his government will double the 2 trillion yen tax cut for this year and implement a 2 trillion yen tax cut in 1999.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 1998

Diet passes 77.67 trillion yen budget

The 77.67 trillion yen fiscal 1998 national budget was passed by the Diet late April 8 in a House of Councilors plenary session vote.
JAPAN
Apr 1, 1998

New roles for construction bonds eyed

A Liberal Democratic Party panel began discussions Wednesday on reviewing the role and nature of government construction bonds to see whether they can be used to help finance a wider range of projects.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 1998

Effects of tax cuts are overestimated, Yamasaki insists

and MARI KOSEKI
JAPAN
Mar 23, 1998

LDP rules out income tax cut for this year

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided Monday that it will not carry out a large-scale income tax cut this year, ruling out the possibility that such a measure will be included in a planned economic stimulus package.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 1998

Lower House approves 78 trillion yen budget

The 77.67 trillion yen fiscal 1998 state budget cleared the Lower House late March 20 and moved on to the Upper House with no amendments, allowing Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to clear a major political hurdle.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 1998

Cabinet expresses concern over business conditions

During a Lower House Budget Committee meeting Friday, Cabinet members admitted serious concern over current business conditions.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 1998

Finance Ministry to clean up act: Matsunaga

The Finance Ministry will take steps to increase the transparency of its inspections and administration of financial firms to redeem itself amid the bribery scandal in which it is currently embroiled, Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Monday before the Diet.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1998

Matsunaga open to debate on pump-priming measures

Finance Minister Hikaru Matsunaga said Tuesday he would welcome debate within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on further pump-priming measures, but added the priority is to secure Diet passage of the supplementary and fiscal 1998 budgets.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 1998

Extra budget, tax cuts pass Lower House

The Lower House on Wednesday passed the government-proposed supplementary budget for the current fiscal year and bills to allow for 2 trillion yen in pump-priming income and residence tax cuts.The extra budget and bills were moved the House of Councilors for further action. They are key components in...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 1998

Public funds debate starts up

Debate began Wednesday in the House of Representatives Finance Committee on two bills that form the backbone of government plans to infuse up to 30 trillion yen in public funds to stabilize the banking system.Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka said "soul-searching is needed over the traditional administration...
JAPAN
Jan 20, 1998

Hashimoto hints at new type of bond to finance construction

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto hinted Tuesday that he would consider the possibility of issuing a new type of government bond to finance a wider range of projects than traditional construction bonds.Speaking before the Lower House Budget Committee, Hashimoto expressed interest in a bond with a shorter...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1998

Limits on construction bond use may be lifted

LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato indicated Friday that the government may lift a division between deficit-covering bonds and construction bonds so more public funds can be injected into the economy."Removing the division is a matter that has lingered for a long time in the minds of a number of senior...
JAPAN
Jan 9, 1998

Mitsuzuka wants construction, deficit bonds separate

Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka voiced opposition Friday to recent calls to scrap the current classification divisions between construction and deficit-covering government bonds.Deficit-covering bonds are issued to cover gaps between government spending and revenue in a given fiscal year and require...
JAPAN
Dec 17, 1997

Hashimoto unveils surprise two trillion yen tax cut

A special 2 trillion yen tax cut will be included in this fiscal year's supplementary budget, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto announced Wednesday, signaling an abrupt about-face in his fiscal restructuring efforts.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 1997

Turmoil-filled Diet session concludes

Staff writer
JAPAN
Dec 11, 1997

Plan for new government bond issue wins tentative approval

A Liberal Democratic Party task force expressed its support Thursday for the principles of a plan to set up a 10 trillion yen fund through bond issues to help protect depositors.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 1997

Clarity sought on role public funds would play

As debate heats up within the government over ways public funds can be used to restore Japan's financial stability, Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka stressed Friday that what such an outlay would attempt to do must first be clarified.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 1997

Hashimoto drafts plan for government in 2001

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto won the ruling alliance's support late Friday for a compromise administrative reform proposal to hand over the three controversial services of the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry to a new public corporation in five years.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 1997

LDP's new stimulus plan offers no quick cure for economy

The Liberal Democratic Party on Friday unveiled a second set of economic stimulus proposals to dispel current pessimism about an economy that has deflated Tokyo stock prices and the value of the yen.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 1997

Bill to reduce the deficit clears the Lower House

A plenary session of the Lower House passed a government-proposed fiscal reform bill Thursday that will use wide-ranging measures to set reduction targets for key budget areas to slash the deficit.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 1997

Worsening economy sparks dissent within LDP

A number of lawmakers on the Liberal Democratic Party's Executive Council on Tuesday voiced concern over a bill that would designate specific reduction targets in key budget areas, arguing the bill would make it impossible for the government to stimulate the economy via spending measures.
JAPAN
Oct 21, 1997

LDP drafts measures to revive ailing economy

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party announced a set of measures Oct. 21 that it hopes will revive the flagging economy mainly through deregulation.Bound by a pledge to curtail government spending, the LDP's package relies less on traditional fiscal stimulus such as public works spending and personal...
JAPAN
Oct 20, 1997

Hashimoto hints at ditching reform proposals

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto indicated Oct. 20 that to accommodate demands from the Liberal Democratic Party, he may sacrifice some of the streamlining proposals suggested in an interim report drafted last month by a blue-ribbon government panel, which he heads.During the first meeting of a House...
JAPAN
Oct 16, 1997

LDP stimulus plan drops tax incentives

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's economic stimulus package due out next week is unlikely to include tax incentives worth around 300 billion yen, party sources said Oct. 16.LDP officials said the package, originally to be released on Oct. 20, would be made public Oct. 21. In effect, the pump-priming...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 1997

Special income tax cuts ruled out as stimulus

Finance Minister Hiroshi Mitsuzuka on Oct. 8 ruled out the possibility of implementing special income tax cuts to help stimulate the economy, saying such a move would worsen the nation's fiscal condition.Speaking at a news conference, Mitsuzuka pointed out that such tax breaks would have to be financed...

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go